North Dakota, 1979

Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, August 3, 1979

August 3, 1979 · NWS ATA · 16 events in 8 counties and zones

8 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

8 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, McHenry

When
August 3, 3:10 PM CST
Where
McHenry County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
48.320, -100.580

Thunderstorm Wind, McHenry

When
August 3, 3:10 PM CST
Where
McHenry County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
48.320, -100.580

Tornado, McHenry

When
August 3, 3:45 PM CST
Where
McHenry County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
47.880, -100.230

Hail, McHenry

When
August 3, 3:45 PM CST
Where
McHenry County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
47.880, -100.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Benson

When
August 3, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Benson County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
48.030, -99.770

Tornado, Benson

When
August 3, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Benson County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
48.150, -99.270

Hail, Wells

When
August 3, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Wells County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
47.830, -99.830

Hail, Eddy

When
August 3, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Eddy County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
47.680, -99.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Eddy

When
August 3, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Eddy County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
47.680, -99.130

Hail, Eddy

When
August 3, 4:56 PM CST
Where
Eddy County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
47.680, -99.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Stutsman

When
August 3, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Stutsman County
Coordinates
48.030, -98.770

Hail, Foster

When
August 3, 5:05 PM CST
Where
Foster County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
47.720, -98.920

Tornado, Griggs

When
August 3, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Griggs County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
47.620, -98.330

Hail, Barnes

When
August 3, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Barnes County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
46.930, -97.850

Hail, Barnes

When
August 3, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Barnes County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
47.180, -98.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Barnes

When
August 3, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Barnes County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
46.930, -97.850

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 1979Every state in 1979This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Dakota, 1979

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10086197, 10086198, 10086199, 10086200, 10086201, 10086202, 10086203, 10086204, 10086205, 10086206, 10086207, 10086208, 10086209, 10086210, 10086211, 10086212.